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James Forsyth rssJames_Forsyth

James Forsyth is Political Editor of the Spectator. He is also a columnist in the Mail on Sunday.

David Willetts and Vince Cable - the mostly house-trained ministers. Photo: Getty Images.

Cable and Willetts: the house-trained ministers?

18 June 2013 17:22

There are few worse insults for a minister than to be called ‘house trained’. It implies that the vested interests of your department have you under their thumb. So, Vince… Continue reading

9 Comments
Image: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

What David Cameron’s decision to keep Sir George Young as chief whip tells us

17 June 2013 16:33

Tory MPs have long assumed that Sir George Young would be shuffled out of the job of chief whip at the next reshuffle. The 71 year old had, after all,… Continue reading

25 Comments
A Syrian army tank patrols an area in th

Cameron wants to change the military balance in Syria, but how do you do that without arming the Islamists?

16 June 2013 18:20

David Cameron and Vladimir Putin have just concluded their pre G8 talks, the main topic of which was Syria. Cameron wants to use the next few days to try and… Continue reading

64 Comments
UKIP Protestors Carry A Giant Ballot Box

Someone has got to win the next election

15 June 2013 14:53

It is easy to make a case for why all three main parties should do badly at the next election. After five years of austerity, who will vote for the… Continue reading

50 Comments
cmaeroneu-594x400

The coming Tory split over Europe

13 June 2013 17:11

The news that Labour will abstain on the EU referendum bill is proof that they know that voting against it would be politically harmful. It also means that it’ll be… Continue reading

29 Comments
Stephen Hester is to stand down as chief executive of RBS. Photo: Getty Images.

Stephen Hester’s departure: who would want the RBS job?

12 June 2013 18:14

I do not envy the search committee tasked with finding a new CEO for RBS after Stephen Hester’s departure. The bank is an anomaly, publicly owned but supposedly run at… Continue reading

15 Comments
GCHQ to reveal links

Trust me, I’m a Foreign Secretary, says William Hague on Prism

10 June 2013 17:46

William Hague’s statement on Prism was a masterclass in not answering the question. Hague calmly, but determinedly, stuck to the line that he wasn’t going to comment on leaks —… Continue reading

39 Comments
To be upfront about Labour's plans for borrowing, Ed Balls would have to make a complex argument about 'good' and 'bad' borrowing. Picture: Getty

Ed Balls: Labour will include pensions in its welfare cap

9 June 2013 11:40

Ed Balls has just told Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics that Labour will include pensions in their welfare cap. This opens up a major dividing line with the Tories… Continue reading

68 Comments
Senate To Vote On Debt Limit Bill, After House Passed It

Prism controversy will deepen coalition divisions over the snooper’s charter

8 June 2013 15:26

GCHQ’s use of the US monitoring system Prism is threatening to turn into a major political row. Douglas Alexander is demanding that William Hague come to the House of Commons… Continue reading

17 Comments
Protests Are Held Throughout The UK Opposing The Coalition Government's Spending Review

This poster is why Number 10 is so confident Clegg will stay solid on union curbs

6 June 2013 12:46

Given all the coalition tensions over Clegg supposedly reneging on his promise to back childcare reform, it is surprising how confident Number 10 is that he’ll stay the course on… Continue reading

6 Comments
Ed Miliband and Ed Balls prefer to talk about what they would do now, rather than in 2015. Picture: Getty

The political centre just moved, to the right

5 June 2013 14:00

Today must count as one of the most encouraging days for the centre right in British politics in recent times. Labour’s apparent abandonment of universal child benefit is a massive… Continue reading

18 Comments
Image: Getty

Why Cameron’s warning on Syria leaves me feeling nervous

3 June 2013 17:18

David Cameron’s Commons statement today contained two blunt warnings. In a significant escalation of the argument over communications data, he warned that ‘we will suffer’ if we don’t make progress… Continue reading

74 Comments
Image: Getty

The significance of Ed Balls’s speech, and what it means for Ukip

3 June 2013 15:03

Ed Balls’s speech today is significant for two reasons. First, it implied that a Labour government in 2015 would not spend more on current spending. But, rather, it would borrow… Continue reading

29 Comments
Parliament

Coalition shifts position after a weekend of sleaze, lobbying register now coming in

2 June 2013 13:45

Today is not a good day for politics or parliament. The latest, depressing sleaze revelations are only going to increase public cynicism about politics and parliament. It seems that a… Continue reading

59 Comments
Tory MP Patrick Mercer leaves Parliament

Telegraph reveals full extent of allegations against Patrick Mercer

1 June 2013 8:00

I suspect that there’ll be a few MPs and peers nervously waiting for 9pm on Thursday night. For this is when the Panorama special on parliament and lobbying, which has… Continue reading

28 Comments
Patrick Mercer. Photo: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

Patrick Mercer resigns Tory whip ahead of Panorama programme

31 May 2013 12:27

Patrick Mercer has resigned the Tory whip. But despite his repeated and outspoken criticisms of David Cameron it is nothing to do with the Prime Minister. Rather, Mercer appears to… Continue reading

16 Comments
Boris

The Boris bandwagon picks up more speed

30 May 2013 18:57

Hardly a day goes by these days without a story about Boris Johnson and the Tory leadership. Yesterday, it was Andy Coulson’s revelation that David Cameron believed Boris Johnson would… Continue reading

28 Comments
British Prime Minister John Major (2nd R) leaves N

Why it’s not the 1990s all over again for the Tories

23 May 2013 13:47

The last twenty four hours have been a reminder of David Cameron’s poise as a national leader. He has the ability to project a sense of resolve and calm. Before… Continue reading

51 Comments
Images from BBC News

Woolwich attack: the aftermath

22 May 2013 22:42

Westminster and Whitehall are tonight trying to assess the implications of the brutal murder of a soldier in Woolwich. It is clear from the vile rant made by one of… Continue reading

375 Comments
Osborne arriving at the IMF conference this morning. Image: Getty

The chancellor survived the IMF report, but there’s another challenge ahead

22 May 2013 16:12

George Osborne has got through the IMF’s report on the UK economy. It is far from a ringing endorsement of his approach but, as Isabel notes, its criticisms are couched… Continue reading

12 Comments